Fairport Convention 4MWB LP reissues *

Have you heard their pressing of Richard and Linda Thompson's Shoot Out The Lights? I think they did an excellent job on that one.

 

Interesting... I have had very positive comments on that one from a few regular record customers.

Wonder if something was different in the audio chain or it just sounds so darn good to begin with!

Excellent album.

 

Michael Fremer gave it a good review on his site.

 

The Pink and Polydor pictures...

These came out kind of dark.... hope they are visible... if not I;ll have do redo in the daylight... comment may follow... hope you enjoy.... long live FC!!!

 

Photo rundown...

The first pair is the UK Pink Island Unhalfbricking, their third, and with three Dylan covers... came out just as the drmmmer and Rt's girlfriend died in a Lorry crash circa June 69. Also there is the foundation stone of British Folk-Rock, Leige and Lief, only their 3rd Lp release of 1969, and their fourth album proper... sandy denny and tygr hitchings would leave after this, Thompson after one more Lp in 1970, Full House... (not shown...) RT signed the L&L in sliver, and Simon Nicol in pink, by his pix, on seperate occasions...

Next pair (if I remember correctly) is two copies of their second Lp, and my fave, What We did on our Holidays, form early 1969, first with Denny, and so good, great originals, great trad. arrangments, great covers of zimmy and joni, (her Eastern Rain remains unreleased by her)...one is the Pink Island label, one is the second, pink rim label..Thompson signed the one I had then...

Next, up, is their first album proper, self titled (in UK) only...on Polydor, along with the budget later 70s reissue, also on Polydor, only slight label variations.

Finally, a pair of white Label Promos of the first two US released albums on A&M, the one with then in the leaves is the second album proper, WWDOOH, retltled as self titled, and new cover... the other, Unhalfbricking, retains the same title as UK (second US release, but thrid album) but has a different cover as wel.... and questions? comments, corrections, etc???


cjheers,

mrbilll

 

Thanks for that!

I have 25 different Fairport vinyl releases, on A&M, BGO, Hannibal, Island, New Routes, Simons, Stony Plain and Woodworm.
Yet I have never seen those last 3 covers before!

No Island pinks for me yet though, just the reissued blue labels.

 

I'll get it.

 

Those to A&M covers are more common in the US than the UK covers (obviously ) and they are the ones I knew first...Also, I stand corrected, that first self-titled album did come out in the US, on the Collation label... an ATCO subsidiary...so, technically, In the uS, both the first and second albums were self titled...

As I said before, What We Did On Our Holiday is my fave FC, amazing Lp... like to hear the Tapestry reissue version...the UK PINK is divine though.. and note that there was at least one earlier UK pink island label before this, with an orange logo eye thingy... early Tull and Traffic have that one sometimes...

I'll see what other FC labels (original and reissue) I can dig out and ID for the good of the group and the curious...


are we still looking for matrix numbers? and porkys? etc...


cheers,

mrbill

 

OP posted this and the link...

I went back and bought two more LPs on the Tapestry label. One by Kalaidoscope and one by Caravan. They have a pretty cool collection in their catalogue. I ordered the Mellow Candle LP on line here. http://www.forcedexposure.com/labels...htenstein.html We'll see if this was a fluke or if Tapestry is the real deal.

I just finally checked this link out... very interesting...

Out of Lickthemstines huh? Looking at the locale, and the many lebels and rarities present, i'm gonna hazard to guess that these limnited to 1,000 Lps are semi legit at best,... but if they sound good, hey, know am i to judge? That first caravan is a stonker album, as is Mellow Candle, (originals go for 1,000 bucks mint,) and I also highly recommmend the Spyrogyra album (Big$$ original as well...) as it is one of their three fine british folk rock lps, maybe their best, and hard to find... anyone bought this one yet??/ also, of course, per the OP, the What We Did On Our Holiday albums is sublime... and he says it sounds good... maybe well wipe out their very limited stock... i'd be currious to hear how the others sound.... berry interesting selections...


cheers,

mrbill

 

Thats the important stuff. Even though the labels are pretty to look at.

 

I look forward to your impressions of it.

 

Fairport Convention's first self-titled LP was released in the US on the Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion label; the same label that the original US Emerson, Lake and Palmer LPs were released on.



Ed Hurdle
HeavyDistortion

 

Slightly off topic, but I have ELPs "Trilogy" on US Cotillion LP and it is very bad sounding - trebly and harsh. The german Island Pink Rim LP of "Trilogy" OTOH is very good sounding ....

 

I stall gather them thar munbers forthwith...


Thanks for the correction, Ed.... I knew that, just a brianfart....

 

OK I got to listen to the 3 other tapestry records. The Mellow Candle record came very quickly. Great service. With these I have nothing to compare them to so take my opinions with that in mind. Caravan is much more of an early prog band than anything else. and Kalaidoscope is pretty much a psych band like Pink Floyd was in the Syd Barrett days. I like them both but I don't love em. My impression is that Tapestry did a good job. Whether or not they did a great job is just hard to tell but I was happy with them all in all. Mellow Candle OTOH is good old Brittish folk and I loved it. And the LP was pretty excellent sounding, Very much in the same league as the Fairport Convention.

I got the Richard and Linda Thompson Shoot out the lights LP on 4 men with beards. Excellent music but I can't agree on this one being a good sounding record. There is didstinct upper midrange glare quite noticable on Linda thompson's vocals and edginess on all the acoustic strings. Worst of all when the sound got loud it got really nasty.

 

I ordered the two FC titles thru my local record store today, well see if they get them, and for how much... they could not find the Spyrogyra available , so I opted for the SOTL, (R&L Thomspon...) and now I read this...we'll will have to give her a try...

I love the first Caravan album, RIDE is sublime....

but my copy is a US Verve original, WLP, Special Disc Jockey copy...

 

There was another thread discussing their legitimacy or otherwise. For what it's worth, on the back of some of the albums it says they're a joint venture with Strange Fruit Music. Strange Fruit is a UK company, part of the Pinnacle Entertainment group, which seems to have the rights to a fairly bizarre back catalogue of music, eg see here for some CDs they're currently selling:

http://www.pinnacle-entertainment.co.uk/label_view.php?supplier_ID=2024

So it could just be that they're legit, which might also explain why they sound OK, though obviously we've still no idea what source they used, who mastered them etc etc.

 

are the Tapestry records pressed at that plant in the Czech republic (gzvinyl)?

 

Do you have any other copies of the album? I have the 4MWB LP, the US Sterling cut LP, the original Hannibal CD and the SACD. The 4MWB LP is the best of the bunch IMO.

Thanks for checking it out and posting your opinions on the 4MWB LP.

 

Thanks for all the info in this thread! I am a huge Kaleidoscope, FC, and Mellow Candle fan, and really getting into Caravan lately. I'm going to get some of these reissues!

Edit: I see Timeless has also reissued the LP in my avatar...

 

I don't. So do you hear the upper midrange glare I hear? Do the strings seem overly etched to you? Do you hear things kind of sonically fall apart during loud passages? If so is that something you hear in all the versions? Is it a recording thing? I don't think my Koetsu is having any trouble tracking this record. And it does not have any tendency to make things sound etched or glary.

 

I'm not sure on top of my head. I'll play my copy and let you know.

 

Here si the iomportant stuff: deadwax details from the albums in post #29...

Note: all the UK Island pressing are machine stamped as follows, the US A&M WLPs are hand etched:


Uk Pink Island ~ Unhalfbricking ~ ILPS 9102 A//1 1314?
B//1 18*? very hard to read...

UK Pink Island ~ Liege & Lief ~ ILPS 9115 A//1 39
*1 1114

UK Pink RIM ~ Holidays ~ ILPS 9092 *A2
*B3

UK Pink ~ Holidays ~ ILPS 9092 +A
+B3

UK Polydor ~ Self-titled debut ~ Original ~ 583035 A//1(upsidedowntriangle or UDT) 420 same on side B except B at start

UK Polydor ~ Self Titled debut ~ 70s reissue 2384047 A//1 UDT 420 05 11
B//1 UDT 420 05 11

US A&M WLP ~ self-titled (Holidays in UK) A&M CSG SP 4269-15 MR (in a circle) (triangle)13309
side B same, but 4270 (triangle) 13309-x

US A&M WLP ~ Unhalfbricking A&M SP 4311 15 MR (inacircle) (triangle) 14008 2(ina circle)
side B same at first but then: SP4312 MR (ina cricle) A13442 X 2 (in a circle)
and then./... and RL!!!!!


cheers,

mrbill

 

I am glad I took back L&L unopened to Amoeba then. I had a feeling it would be a disappointment compared to the pink rim Island (or even the original US A&M).

As it happens, I did pick up the Tapestry "What We Did" a few months ago and I like its sound. I have nothing with which to compare, except the original Hannibal CD. Sounds like they did a decent job with it...

--Matt

 

Yeah, you did the right thing, I'd say once you got the UK Pink Island and Pink Rim original Lps in mint shape, you are set FC, Fotheringay, and Sandy Denny-wise... Only if say maybe Steve did a new one on RTI would it be worth dropping down some more dosh to compare in hopes of excelling...

I am currious to hear more about this original Pinks versuss later Pink Rims with Porkys and Prime cuts, as to who likes which, I like Porkys too, but not sure they would best my originals... anyone had both and sold off their originals???

cheer,s

mrbill